In April of 2024, the Department of Education approved New Title IX rules, which are scheduled to take effect on August 1, 2024. Our firm is closely monitoring ongoing challenges to these new rules in court, and is working hard to provide you the most up-to-date information. Click here to learn about the current state of Title IX and how we can help if you are facing accusations.
Whether you're a student at the University of Miami, the parent of a pupil attending Westminster Academy, or have a connection to another K-12 school or university in the Miami Metro area, don't feel overwhelmed by any sort of academic or behavioral issue. You or your child are not the first to face hurdles in this competitive school system, and help is available.
The Lento Law Firm understands the academic landscape in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Port St. Lucie, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach. We represent students, and parents of students, looking to overcome various challenges in this region of Florida. We can help you or your child, too.
Miami Metropolitan Area - Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Port St. Lucie
The Miami metropolitan area, including the cities of Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Port St. Lucie, is among the fastest growing in the United States. Out-of-staters continue to flock to this area for its natural beauty and favorable tax policies.
This region of Florida also hosts a variety of competitive public and private schools. Whether your child is in grades K-12, or you or your child is a university student in the Miami Metro area, you must get ahead of any academic or behavioral issues that arise.
With Miami's population projected to grow substantially over the coming half-decade and beyond, schools in the area may think little of expelling a pupil—another one will be waiting to take that child's place, they might figure, especially in ultra-competitive schools and districts.
The truth is, you or your child needs a strong defense. Whether it is their reputation, academic record, or enrollment in their current school that is on the line, the Lento Law Firm will fight for you.
We Know and Serve the Most Prominent Schools in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm, and Port St. Lucie
Familiarity with a certain school district or a specific school can make all the difference in student defense cases. Our firm knows the Miami Metro area well, having served students in this beautiful area of the country for more than a decade.
Colleges and Universities in the Miami Metro Area
Our team represents students attending, or recently expelled from, the largest universities in Miami and surrounding cities, including:
- University of Miami
- Florida International University (FIU)
- Miami Dade College
- Nova Southeastern University
- Florida Atlantic University (FAU)
- Lynn University
- Keiser University
- Everglades University
- Palm Beach Atlantic University
- DeVry University
- St. Thomas University
- Florida National University
- Broward College
- Barry University
- Florida Memorial University
- Albizu University
- Millennia Atlantic University
- City College Ft. Lauderdale
- Palm Beach State College
- Indian River State College
If you're facing any sort of discipline in one of these schools, or another school in Southeastern Florida, reach out to our firm for help today.
Graduate and Specialty Collegiate Programs
Some of the graduate programs and specialty colleges that we're familiar with in Miami and surrounding cities include:
- University of Miami College of Engineering
- University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies
- University of Miami Institute for Data Science & Computing
- University of Miami School of Law
- University of Miami Center for Latin American Studies
- McFatter Technical College
- Miami International University of Art & Design
- FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- FAU College of Business
- Florida Career College - Miami
- Cambridge College of Healthcare & Technology
- Southeastern College - West Palm Beach
- Fortis Institute
- Treasure Coast Technical College
- Aviator College of Aeronautical Science & Technology
There are many technical and graduate programs in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Port St. Lucie. If you or your child need help with a student defense issue at any program in one of these cities, we can help.
K-12 Private Schools
We help families whose children are facing any issue that threatens their personal or academic progress. Our firm acts on behalf of parents whose children attend:
- School for Advanced Studies (SAS)
- Ransom Everglades School (Coconut Grove)
- Pine Crest School - Ft. Lauderdale Campus
- IES Global School (Boca Raton)
- Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart (Miami)
- Gulliver Preparatory School (Pinecrest)
- NSU University School (Davie)
- Palmer Trinity School (Miami)
- Posnack Jewish Day School (Davie)
- Saint Andrew's School (Boca Raton)
- Miami Country Day School
- The Benjamin School (North Palm Beach)
- Belen Jesuit Preparatory School (Miami)
- Riviera Schools (Miami)
- Scheck Hillel Community School (North Miami Beach)
- Oxbridge Academy (West Palm Beach)
- Cardinal Newman High School (Palm Beach)
- All Saints Catholic School (Jupiter)
- American Heritage Schools (Palm Beach)
- North Broward Preparatory School (Coconut Creek)
- Westminster Christian School (Palmetto Bay)
Don't worry if you don't see your child's school on this list, as there are many competitive elementary, middle, and high schools throughout Miami, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Ft. Lauderdale, and Port St. Lucie. If your child's school is not listed here, the Lento Law Firm can still assist you.
K-12 Public Schools
We represent parents whose children are attending a public school in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Port St. Lucie, including those in:
- Miami-Dade County Public School District
- Palm Beach County Public School District
- St. Lucie County Public School District
- Broward County Public School District
Student defense is just as important for pupils in these districts as it is for students in any other school. The Lento Law Firm extends our services to your family.
We Handle Academic and Non-Academic Student Issues
Because student defense is the Lento Law Firm's specialty, we handle a wide breadth of student-specific issues. We can help you or your child with:
Academic Progression Issues
Whether you're the parent of a child learning their multiplication tables in Miami Gardens, or a university student working towards an engineering degree in West Palm Beach, you likely know that academic standards exist for a good reason.
However, schools of all types and sizes must apply academic progression policies fairly. Just as importantly, schools must recognize when abnormal hardship or mitigating circumstances warrant an exception to standard academic policies.
Academic progression policies are highly specific to each school. At the University of Miami, for example, a student can repeat a course they've failed but will keep the original “F” on their transcript. In such a case, a student might want to appeal the grade of “F” (perhaps because a teacher miscalculated their grade), hoping to avoid re-taking a course.
We can assist you or your child if:
- They are facing probation, suspension, or expulsion related to academic performance
- They are being asked, or forced, to repeat a semester or year because of academic performance
- They are facing any other adverse consequence related to academic progression
In a hyper-competitive academic environment, even a failing mark can have serious consequences for a student's future. Our team will work to protect you or your child from an unjust academic progression issue.
Academic Misconduct Allegations
Students in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm, Boca Raton, and Port St. Lucie are expected to earn their grades on their own merit. If your school or your child's school levies accusations of academic misconduct, then consequences may include expulsion, suspension, and other serious penalties.
Most schools have a clearly defined Honor Code. These codes may be somewhat general, like “At Miami Country Day School, we prepare children for college and for life by embracing four core values: honor, respect, wisdom, and compassion.” Especially in the case of colleges and universities, an honor code may be more explicit, perhaps prohibiting:
- Cheating
- Plagiarizing
- Sharing answers to assignments
- Providing unauthorized copies of coursework
- Lying to teachers, professors, or administrators
- Using electronic means to obtain answers
The slate of prohibited academic behaviors may be comparable across all schools in the Miami metro area. However, disciplinary policies and enforcement procedures tend to vary.
Our firm will dive into your school's or your child's school's literature regarding academic misconduct. We will identify the best possible outcome to their current dilemma and work swiftly towards that goal.
Behavioral Misconduct Allegations in the Miami Metro Area
Just as most schools maintain academic standards, they also maintain behavioral standards. Florida International University (FIU) makes its list of “Conduct Violations” easily accessible and makes clear that it is students' duty to be aware of these behavioral guidelines.
The problem is, cases of alleged behavioral misconduct are rarely straightforward. From a physical altercation in the courtyard of St. Andrew's School in Boca Raton to an allegation of drunkenness against a student at Lynn University, the issue is usually more complicated than “right” or “wrong.”
Our firm makes sure that the school in question hears the entire story. Whether you or your child is seeking leniency or aiming to have allegations completely dismissed, our firm can help. We'll advocate for the student throughout the disciplinary process, taking further legal action if necessary.
We Defend Students in Miami, Its Suburbs, and Surrounding Cities Against Title IX Allegations
Federally funded colleges and universities in Florida and throughout the nation must comply with Title IX regulations. The stated mission of Title IX is to ensure that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Except that Title IX has grown into a wide-ranging, frequently evolving enforcement tool over the years. Countless Title IX cases have resulted in students of questionable culpability being removed from universities and reputations in tatters as a result.
Whether you're accused of sexual assault, harassment, discrimination, or another offense that falls under Title IX, you are in line for a high-stakes disciplinary process. Unfortunately, those in charge of the Title IX process may blindly deem you responsible for the alleged offense, and the onus may be on you to prove your innocence.
Is this presumption of guilt fair? No. Are all students accused of Title IX violations railroaded or presumed guilty before the disciplinary process starts? No. Should you assume the worst and retain a Title IX advisor to leave no doubt of your innocence? Absolutely.
Most universities in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Port St. Lucie are Title IX-compliant. Most will allow you to have an attorney-advisor accompany you throughout the disciplinary process, including in a Title IX hearing. Take advantage of this allowance.
How, Exactly, Can a Student Discipline Defense Attorney-Advisor Help Students (or Their Parents)?
The manner in which attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento helps you or your child will depend on:
- The type of student defense issue in question
- The school's policy on how advisors can assist students
- The target outcome that we set for your case, or your child's case
- Other factors specific to your case
We do what our clients need us to. This may mean gathering evidence proving that a student has not committed an alleged offense. It may mean accompanying you or your child to interviews and hearings. It could also mean completing the appeals process or seeking a resolution through the school's Office of General Counsel (OGC).
Our familiarity with the student discipline and appeals process may prove invaluable. No matter the student's age or circumstance, we know that their school has great power to affect their future. Let us do everything in our power to resolve your student defense issue in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, or Port St. Lucie.
Hire the Lento Law Firm as Your Student Defense Advisor in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, or Port St. Lucie
Our firm's specialty is student discipline defense. When a student's future is on the line, you don't want to rely on the “local” attorney who is a jack of all trades but a master of none. You want the Lento Law Firm on your side.
We never predetermine our defense strategy, instead crafting our approach based on what is in your (or your child's) best interests. We are ready to work towards a resolution today. Call the Lento Law Firm as soon as you can at 888-535-3686 or submit your case details on our website.
